ISU Junior Grand Prix in Slovakia

ISU Junior Grand Prix in Slovakia
Logo of the ISU Junior Grand Prix
StatusInactive
GenreISU Junior Grand Prix
FrequencyOccasional
CountrySlovakia Slovakia
Inaugurated1997
Previous event2021
Organized bySlovak Figure Skating Association

The ISU Junior Grand Prix in Slovakia – also known as Skate Slovakia – is an international figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU), organized and hosted by the Slovak Figure Skating Association (Slovak: Slovensky Krasokorčuliarsky Zväz). It is held periodically as an event of the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (JGP), a series of international competitions exclusively for junior-level skaters. Medals may be awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. Skaters earn points based on their results at the qualifying competitions each season, and the top skaters or teams in each discipline are invited to then compete at the Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.

History

The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (JGP) was established by the International Skating Union (ISU) in 1997 and consists of a series of seven international figure skating competitions exclusively for junior-level skaters. The locations of the Junior Grand Prix events change every year. While all seven competitions feature the men's, women's, and ice dance events, only four competitions each season feature the pairs event. Skaters earn points based on their results each season, and the top skaters or teams in each discipline are then invited to compete at the Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.[1]

Viktoria Volchkova at the 2004 NHK Trophy
Viktoria Volchkova of Russia, the women's champion at the inaugural Junior Series competition in Slovakia

Skaters are eligible to compete on the junior-level circuit if they are at least 13 years old before 1 July of the respective season, and if they have not yet turned 19 (for single skaters, and females in ice dance and pair skating) or 21 (for males in ice dance and pair skating).[1] Competitors are chosen by their respective skating federations. The number of entries allotted to each ISU member nation in each discipline is determined by their results at the prior World Junior Figure Skating Championships.[2]

Slovakia hosted its first Junior Grand Prix event in 1997 in Banská Bystrica. Ivan Dinev of Bulgaria won the men's event, Viktoria Volchkova of Russia won the women's event, Victoria Maksyuta and Vladislav Zhovnirski of Russia won the pairs event, and Flavia Ottaviani and Massimo Scali of Italy won the ice dance event.[3]

The International Skating Union officially cancelled all scheduled Junior Grand Prix events for the 2020–21 season, which included the competition in Košice, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, citing increased travel and entry requirements between countries and potentially excessive sanitary and health care costs for those hosting competitions.[4]

Medalists

Natalie D'Alessandro and Bruce Waddell at the 2004 NHK Trophy
Natalie D'Alessandro and Bruce Waddell of Canada, the ice dance champions at the 2021 Junior Grand Prix competition in Slovakia

Men's singles

Men's event medalists
Year Location Gold Silver Bronze Ref.
1997 Banská Bystrica Bulgaria Ivan Dinev Russia Pavel Kersha Slovakia Juraj Sviatko [3]
1998 United States Johnny Weir Czech Republic Lukáš Rakowski United Kingdom Matthew Davies [5]
2002 Bratislava Russia Alexander Shubin Japan Nobunari Oda France Yannick Ponsero [6]
2003 Russia Andrei Griazev Canada Christopher Mabee [7]
2005 Russia Alexander Uspenski United States Stephen Carriere Germany Philipp Tischendorf [8]
2013 Košice Japan Keiji Tanaka China Zhang He Russia Mikhail Kolyada [9]
2015 Bratislava Canada Roman Sadovsky United States Vincent Zhou Argentina Denis Margalik [10]
2018 Canada Stephen Gogolev Japan Mitsuki Sumoto Italy Daniel Grassl [11]
2020 Košice Competition cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic [4]
2021 Russia Kirill Sarnovskiy Russia Ilya Yablokov United States William Annis [12]

Women's singles

Women's event medalists
Year Location Gold Silver Bronze Ref.
1997 Banská Bystrica Russia Viktoria Volchkova United States Amber Corwin United States Erin Pearl [3]
1998 Hungary Tamara Dorofejev [5]
2002 Bratislava Sweden Lina Johansson United States Alissa Czisny United States Natalie Mecher [6]
2003 Japan Mai Asada United States Katy Taylor Russia Olga Naidenova [7]
2005 South Korea Yuna Kim Japan Aki Sawada Georgia (country) Elene Gedevanishvili [8]
2013 Košice United States Karen Chen Russia Alexandra Proklova Japan Riona Kato [9]
2015 Bratislava Russia Polina Tsurskaya Japan Mai Mihara United States Vivian Le [10]
2018 Russia Anna Shcherbakova Russia Anna Tarusina South Korea You Young [11]
2020 Košice Competition cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic [4]
2021 Russia Veronika Zhilina Russia Sofia Muravieva Russia Adeliia Petrosian [12]

Pairs

Oksana Nagalati and Maxim Bobrov of Russia originally won the bronze medal at the 2013 competition, but were later disqualified due to a positive doping test from Nagalati.[13]

In 2021, Karina Safina and Luka Berulava became the first pairs team from Georgia to win a Junior Grand Prix medal.[14]

Pairs event medalists
Year Location Gold Silver Bronze Ref.
1997 Banská Bystrica
  • Russia
  • United States
  • Carissa Guild
  • Andrew Muldoon
[3]
1998 [5]
2002 Bratislava
  • Canada
  • United States
[6]
2003
  • Russia
  • Anastasia Kuzmina
  • Stanislav Evdokimov
  • United States
  • Amy Howerton
  • Steven Pottenger
[7]
2005
  • United States
  • Canada
  • Theresa Mailling
  • Dominique Welsh
[8]
2013 Košice [9]
2015 Bratislava No pairs competition [10]
2018 [11]
2020 Košice Competition cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic [4]
2021
  • Russia
  • Anastasia Mukhortova
  • Dmitry Evgenyev
  • Russia
[12]

Ice dance

Ice dance event medalists
Year Location Gold Silver Bronze Ref.
1997 Banská Bystrica
  • Russia
  • Ukraine
  • Olga Kudym
  • Anton Tereschenko
[3]
1998
  • Ukraine
  • Germany
[5]
2002 Bratislava
  • Canada
  • Siobhan Karam
  • Joshua McGrath
[6]
2003 [7]
2005 [8]
2013 Košice
  • United States
  • Holly Moore
  • Daniel Klaber
[9]
2015 Bratislava [10]
2018
  • United States
[11]
2020 Košice Competition cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic [4]
2021
  • Russia
  • Vasilisa Kaganovskaia
  • Valeriy Angelopol
[12]

References

  1. ^ a b "ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 24 April 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  2. ^ "Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2024/25 – Announcement". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 20 September 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e "1997 Grand Prize SNP". The Figure Skating Corner. Archived from the original on 9 October 2008. Retrieved 9 October 2008.
  4. ^ a b c d e "ISU Junior Grand Prix Series 2020/21 cancelled". International Skating Union. 20 July 2020. Archived from the original on 22 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d "1998 Grand Prize SNP". The Figure Skating Corner. Archived from the original on 9 October 2008. Retrieved 9 October 2008.
  6. ^ a b c d "2002/2003 ISU Junior Grand Prix, 5th event – 2002 Skate Slovakia". The Figure Skating Corner. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 29 September 2007.
  7. ^ a b c d "2003/2004 ISU Junior Gand Prix, 2nd event – Skate Slovakia 2003". The Figure Skating Corner. Archived from the original on 25 June 2007. Retrieved 25 June 2007.
  8. ^ a b c d "2005 JGP Skate Slovakia". Skating Scores. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
  9. ^ a b c d "2013 JGP Kosice". Skating Scores. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
  10. ^ a b c d "2015 JGP Slovakia". Skating Scores. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
  11. ^ a b c d "2018 JGP Bratislava". Skating Scores. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
  12. ^ a b c d "2021 JGP Slovakia". Skating Scores. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
  13. ^ "Communication No. 1843". International Skating Union. 8 January 2014. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  14. ^ "Russia's next generation shines in Kosice at ISU Junior Grand Prix". International Skating Union. 6 September 2021. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2021.